2000 people benefit from Ibadan M’esi o go’s ‘health is wealth’

One of the millennial challenges facing developing countries is the dearth of a functional health system. As much as this phenomenon continues to hurt the people and the polity, various alternative means have been derived to meet this need by private organizations and well-meaning individuals over a period of time. Such is the resolve of a non-governmental group, ‘Ibadan M’esi O go’ group, founded some years ago by Mrs.Matilda Adeola Adepoju.

The group, as part of its giving back system recently took it upon itself to better the lots of the less privileged in Ibadan by giving treating primary health issues. The event which is the group’s annual ‘health is wealth’ was aimed at giving basic medical checks, giving treatment and monitoring to revise basic help for the health of the less privileged in the city.

Having being involved in various humanitarian programmes in the city through several collaborations with other NGOs, the founder and President of ‘Ibadan M’esi O go’ embarked on mass rally through the nooks and crannies of Ibadan to sensitize the people on some health conditions, healthy living and the intention of the group to organize a educative seminar for the people at the Mapo hall, Ibadan, 24 hours before the event.

The group gave sc reening and pep talks on ailments like cervical and breast cancer screening, high blood pressure, deworming exercise for children and medical advice as relates to test conducted on the people.

The sensitization team touched down many areas including markets like Gbagi, Oja’ba, Orita-merin, Idi-arere, Labiran among many others, leading to a large turnout of people who couldn’t hide their elation at the chance to get free screening and treatment.

The chance to check their health status without facing the rigors of a clinic was an added advantage as tests started from Blood Pressure to other basic examinations before the breast and cervical cancer screening as well as deworming exercise for the children and some adults.

While speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Mrs. Adeola said with the situation of the economy in the land, people like herself and other groups need to assist the state in making accessible health services available to people at relatively low cost, adding that the initiative is to help people because health is wealth.

According to her, various successful government have tried to put structures in place to address health issues but that cannot be enough for the teeming populace, adding that one of the reasons why Ibadan M’esi O go’, came up with such initiative to contribute to the well-being of the people especially the less privileged to access good health is to assist government efforts.

She enjoined well meaning Nigerians to partner with government and contribute to such initiative, adding that “many of our people don’t have access to health services in the country. Or let me say we don’t have many of it. I am going to say there isn’t any because various successive governments had tried their best in providing to put some structures in places.

“So with this initiative, we are trying to bring our people’s attention to regular body check up, so as to discover on time any kind of ailment that is affecting their system. Secondly, I am trying to use this initiative to encourage other people, especially my brothers and sisters from Ibadan, Oyo state and the whole of Nigeria to come up with something similar. And in a situation where we have many that are already in tune, I want to charge us to keep it up. There is much to be done in the area of health for our people,” Adeola said.

At the end, over 2,000 people including the aged and working class benefited from the scheme, out of which over 1,500 children were dewormed.

Mrs Adepoju also revealed that ‘Ibadan M’esi O go’, partnered with Rotary club members to make the exercise a success, adding that her group relates with the Rotary club because of the great benefits they serve to the society as an international club with great repute.

She added that, at the end of the day she expects the people to become healthier as a result of the programme and reduce the prevalence of terminal illnesses to a barest minimum.